4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension

Feature Description

277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2

Copyright

© Ericsson AB 2016, 2017. All rights reserved. No part of this document may
be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright
owner.

Disclaimer

The contents of this document are subject to revision without notice due to
continued progress in methodology, design and manufacturing. Ericsson shall
have no liability for any error or damage of any kind resulting from the use of
this document.

Trademark List

All trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.
These are shown in the document Trademark Information.

277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18

 Contents

Contents

1 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension Overview 1

1.1 Additional Information 2

2 Feature Operation 4
2.1 Network Requirements 4
2.2 Feature Operation Sequence Diagram 4
2.3 Process Steps 5

3 Parameters 8
3.1 Feature Configuration Parameters 8
3.2 Affected Parameters 8

4 Network Impact 9
4.1 Capacity 9
4.2 Coverage 9
4.3 Mobility 9

5 Associated Features and Affected Functions 10

5.1 Prerequisite Features 10
5.2 Affected Features 10
5.3 Related Features 10
5.4 Affected System Functions 11

6 Performance 12
6.1 Key Performance Indicators 12
6.2 Counters 12
6.3 PM Events 12

7 Activate 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension 14

8 Deactivate 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension 15

277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18

4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension

277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18

 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension Overview

1 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension

Overview

Identity: FAJ 121 4466

Licensing: Licensed feature. One license per
node.
Introduced in: L17A
Replaces: N/A
Belongs to: Carrier Aggregation, FAJ 801 0405

Summary

The 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension feature adds the capability to

transmit downlink data to a UE on four carriers simultaneously.

In addition, support is added for the new band combination signaling

according to 3GPP TS 36.331 and TS 36.101. The new band combination
signaling enables UEs supporting more than 128 band combinations to
provide all relevant band combinations to the eNodeB. Instead of the UE
reporting all the CA band combinations that it supports, it only reports CA
band combinations for specific bands requested by the eNodeB.

The main benefits of the feature are:

• Increased downlink speed across the coverage area.

• More efficient use of scattered spectrum, making possible to combine four

chunks of bandwidth for one UE.

• Improve end-user experience by achieving peak throughput up to the

following based on system configurations, number of component carriers
(CC) and TX layers. The throughput is provided in Mbps at the Physical
Layer. See details in Table 1.

Table 1 Peak Throughput Based on System Configurations

No of TX 64-QAM 256-QAM
Layers
Number of 1CC 2CC 3CC 4CC 1CC 2CC 3CC 4CC
Component
Carriers
FDD 2 150 300 450 600 195 391 587 783
4 300 600 750 (1) 900 (2) 391 783 979 (1) 979 (2)

277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18 1

 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension

No of TX 64-QAM 256-QAM
Layers
TDD UL/DL 2 110 220 330 440 143 285 428 580
Configuration 2
(SSF7) 4 213 426 N/A N/A 286 N/A N/A N/A
TDD UL/DL 2 108 216 324 432 139 279 418 556
Configuration 2
(SSF6) 4 208 416 N/A N/A 279 N/A N/A N/A

(1) Based on 10 layers configuration, with 3CC, 20 MHz bandwidth.

(2) Based on 10 layers configuration, with 4CC, 20 MHz bandwidth.

1.1 Additional Information

More information about this feature, and related topics, can be found in the
following documentation:

• 3GPP TS 36.331

• 3GPP TS 36.211

• 3GPP TS 36.212

• 3GPP TS 36.213

• 3GPP TS 36.101

• Carrier Aggregation

• Dynamic SCell Selection for Carrier Aggregation

• 3CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension

• 4x4 Quad Antenna Downlink Performance Package

• 256-QAM Downlink

• Configurable SCell Priority

• Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD

• Carrier Aggregation-Aware IFLB

• Supplemental Downlink for Carrier Aggregation

• 3CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension

• Uplink Carrier Aggregation

• Cross-DU Carrier Aggregation Support

• Multiple Frequency Band Indicators

2 277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18

 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension Overview

• Elastic RAN

277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18 3

 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension

2 Feature Operation

2.1 Network Requirements

This is a licensed feature. This means that for the feature to be operational, a
valid license key must be installed and the feature must be explicitly activated
by setting a MOM attribute.

The following must also be fulfilled at feature activation:

• A license key for feature Carrier Aggregation must be activated.

• A license key for feature Dynamic SCell Selection for Carrier Aggregation
must be activated.

• The cell is a SCell candidate if attribute

EUtranCellRelation.sCellCandidate is set to ALLOWED or
ONLY_ALLOWED_FOR_DL.

• The UE must support 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation .

• To benefit from the new band combination signaling according to 3GPP

TS 36.331, the UE needs to have the corresponding support.

• If UE supports Higher Order Modulation (HOM ) and/or 4 layer TX, higher

throughput can be achieved.

2.2 Feature Operation Sequence Diagram

With Carrier Aggregation (CA), a UE uses resources from multiple cells. With
4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension, the UE uses up to four downlink (DL)
component carriers (CC) at the same time, as shown in Figure 1.

4 277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18

 Feature Operation

1 UL & 1 DL CCs
CA UE with 4CC CA

1 UL & 1 DL CCs
CA UE with 2CC CA

1 UL & 1 DL CCs
CA UE with 3CC CA

1 UL & 1 DL CCs
UE without CA

L0001478A

Figure 1 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension

2.3 Process Steps

2.3.1 Dynamic Secondary Cell Configuration and Deconfiguration

• A UE is evaluated for carrier aggregation at initial attach, re-establishment,

or incoming handover.

• The first, second and third SCells are configured using blind selection. The
initial selection and configuration of SCells depends on the attribute
CarrierAggregationFunction.sCellSelectionMode :

– If sCellSelectionMode is set to
ACK_SEQUENTIAL_SCell_SELECTION, SCells are selected and
configured in sequence. A1 is configured per SCell to confirm the
coverage. The second SCell is only selected once the first SCell has
been concluded as being in coverage and the third SCell is only
selected once the second SCell has been concluded as being in
coverage.

– If sCellSelectionMode is set to
ACK_SIMULTANEOUS_SCell_SELECTION, three SCells are selected
and configured simultaneously. A1 is configured per SCell to confirm
the coverage.

– If sCellSelectionMode is set to
UN_ACK_SIMULTANEOUS_SCell_SELECTION, three SCells are
selected and configured simultaneously. This mode assumes SCells
to have good coverage. To reduce RRC overhead no A1
measurements are configured.

277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18 5

 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension

For the initial SCell selection of the first, second and third SCell, please
see Dynamic SCell Selection for Carrier Aggregation.

Note: In simultaneous SCell selection modes, the SCell UL CA

evaluation is made by means of the attribute caPreference. For
more information on UL CA functionality, see Uplink Carrier
Aggregation.

• The maximum TX layers that both the eNodeB and UE can support are
reconfigured on each component carrier. If the maximum allowed TX
layers are changed on a component carrier due to other SCell being
added or removed, they are reconfigured at the same time along with
SCell reconfiguration.

• All three SCells are implicitly deconfigured upon release of the UE.

• All three SCells are deconfigured at incoming handover. However, the UE

is configured with one or more SCells in the target cell following the same
procedure as at initial access.

• An SCell is deconfigured when the UE has poor coverage (indicated by A2

report) or there is a better SCell candidate in the same frequency
(indicated by A6 report) . Also, it is triggered separately for the first,
second, and third SCell.

• An SCell is deconfigured at SCell change (A6) and an SCell candidate cell

with stronger signal is configured as the new SCell. Also, it is triggered
separately for the first, second, and third SCell.

For more details, see Dynamic SCell Selection for Carrier Aggregation.

2.3.2 Dynamic Secondary Cell Activation and Deactivation

The SCell activation and deactivation triggers are the following:

• Need based:

– Activate/deactivate based on buffer occupancy.

• Coverage based:

– Deactivate based on poor SCell coverage.

• Prohibit timer to avoid ping-pong effect.

• SCell is deactivated as a result of cell lock or evolved Multimedia

Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) start or stop.

• Up to two SCells are deactivated based on poor PCell UL Channel

condition. To avoid deactivation of the third SCell it is recommended to
set:

6 277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18

 Feature Operation

CarrierAggregationFunction.sCellDeactOutOfCoverageTimer >=
MAX(160, 2 * CarrierAggregationFunction.sCellDeactProhibitTimer + 80) ms
or:
CarrierAggregationFunction.sCellDeactOutOfCoverageTimer = -1

• Activation based on buffer occupancy triggers activation of one, two or

three SCells.

• Deactivation based on buffer occupancy triggers deactivation of one SCell

at a time:

– The SCell which provides the lowest potential throughput is

deactivated, or

– The SCell which is located at a different DU from PCell is deactivated.

• Potential throughput:

– Calculated based on bandwidth, number of code words and channel

condition. These are only used for deactivation decision as CQI is only
reported for activated SCells.

For more details, see Carrier Aggregation.

277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18 7

 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension

3 Parameters

3.1 Feature Configuration Parameters

The following parameters are used to configure this feature:

• CarrierAggregationFunction.caPreference

• EUtranCellFDD.noOfPucchFormat3PrbPairs

• EUtranCellTDD.noOfPucchFormat3PrbPairs

3.2 Affected Parameters

The implementation of this feature affects no parameters.

8 277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18

 Network Impact

4 Network Impact

4.1 Capacity
A UE configured with an SCell consumes more resources than a UE
connected only to a PCell. For each additional SCell configured a new
resource is allocated at PCell. However, it is counted as one from a connected
UE license perspective. As the 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension feature
allows up to three configured SCells per UE, the loading limit is reached by
fewer UEs than previously, with 2CC, or 3CC.

Existing mechanisms, with the right configuration, ensure that SCell

configuration is stopped before the loading limit is reached. By doing this,
carrier aggregation UEs are prevented from blocking attachment of new UEs
into the system. For more information, see Carrier Aggregation, section
Limiting the number of CA Users.

Additional resources are required on Physical Uplink Control Channel

(PUCCH) for transmission of SCell downlink Hybrid Automatic Repeat
Request (HARQ) Acknowledgements (ACK). For more information, see
Control Channel Dimensioning.

4.2 Coverage
The feature does not have any impact on coverage.

4.3 Mobility
The feature has no impact on mobility since mobility is based on PCell
coverage.

277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18 9

 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension

5 Associated Features and Affected

Functions

5.1 Prerequisite Features

The following are prerequisite features to this feature. They must be active
prior to introducing the 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension feature.

• Carrier Aggregation

• Dynamic SCell Selection for Carrier Aggregation

• 3CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension

5.2 Affected Features

Table 2 lists features that are affected by the 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation
Extension feature.

Table 2 Affected Features

Feature Description
4x4 Quad Antenna Performance The 4x4 Quad Antenna Downlink Performance Package feature
Package provides support for four transmit antennas resulting in
improvements to downlink coverage and capacity, especially in
high-quality channel conditions.
256-QAM Downlink 256-QAM Downlink is a 3GPP modulation that increases the DL
throughput with up to 30%. The system supports dynamic
switching between 64-QAM and 256-QAM based on measured
quality.

5.3 Related Features

Table 3 lists features that are related to this feature:

Table 3 Related Features

Feature Description
Configurable SCell Priority The Configurable SCell Priority feature is an extension to the
Dynamic SCell Selection for Carrier Aggregation feature which
allows manual prioritization of SCells available for carrier
aggregation.
Carrier Aggregation The Carrier Aggregation feature provides the capability to
transmit data to a single UE on two DL bands simultaneously.
Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD The Carrier Aggregation (CA) FDD-TDD feature allows TDD
cells to be used as Secondary Cells (SCell) for an FDD Primary
Cell (PCell).

10 277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18

 Associated Features and Affected Functions

Feature Description
Carrier Aggregation-Aware IFLB The Carrier Aggregation-Aware IFLB feature aims to improve
average system throughput by efficient distribution of carrier
aggregation capable users to cells where the carrier aggregation
capability can be utilized, or utilized in a better way. This leads
to better throughput for Carrier Aggregation (CA)-capable UEs.
Dynamic SCell Selection for Carrier The feature is based on Carrier Aggregation feature and has the
Aggregation following additional functionality: A cell used as PCell can have
multiple cells as SCell candidates. Based on UE measurements
and the SCell selection algorithm, the SCell of a UE is
dynamically configured or deconfigured.
Supplemental Downlink for Carrier The main benefits of Supplemental Downlink for Carrier
Aggregation Aggregation are as follows: Spectrum utilization on bands
defined as downlink only, for example Band 29 using Carrier
Aggregation. Increased downlink User Equipment (UE) peak
throughput. Increased aggregated downlink throughput and
capacity.
3CC DL Carrier Aggregation The benefit of the 3CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension
Extension feature is the capability to transmit data to a single UE on three
carriers simultaneously. In addition, support is added for the new
band combination signaling according to 3GPP TS 36.331.
Uplink Carrier Aggregation The Uplink Carrier Aggregation feature enables a User
Equipment (UE) to transmit data on more than one carrier
simultaneously. This means increased uplink throughput across
the coverage area, more efficient use of scattered spectrum and
higher capacity. The feature is specified by 3GPP.
Cross-DU Carrier Aggregation This feature allows carrier aggregation to be used with multi-DU
Support eNodeB configurations where the primary and secondary cells
are terminated on different DUs. This can be used to support
carrier pooling deployments. Some carriers are terminated on
one DU and other carriers on a second DU in a multi-DU
configuration, without losing support for carrier aggregation.
Multiple Frequency Band Indicators The MFBI feature will: Simplify frequency band compatibility for
operators and UE vendors. Enable the cell to accommodate UE
which supports the physical frequency but not the primary band
of the cell. Allow efficient use of license spectrum by allowing
harmonized 3GPP bands and legacy band in the same cell.
Increase the number of UE which are compatible with the
operators network, including roaming UE.
Elastic RAN The Elastic RAN feature enables high speed, low latency
interaction between eNodeBs, such that eNodeBs can be added
as required to increase the capacity and cell interaction scope.
Elastic RAN eliminates fixed-sized coordination boundaries and
scalability constraints, allowing the sets of cells that can be
considered for use as secondary cells to be expanded across
multiple eNodeBs.

5.4 Affected System Functions

This feature affects no system functions.

277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18 11

 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension

6 Performance

6.1 Key Performance Indicators

The main Key Performance Indicators (KPI) associated with the 4CC DL
Carrier Aggregation Extension feature are the same as for the Carrier
Aggregation feature. For more information, see Carrier Aggregation and Key
Performance Indicators.

6.2 Counters
The following counters are associated with this feature:

• EUtranCellFDD.pmCaCapableDlSum

• EUtranCellTDD.pmCaCapableDlSum

• EUtranCellFDD.pmCaConfiguredDlSum

• EUtranCellTDD.pmCaConfiguredDlSum

• EUtranCellFDD.pmCaActivatedDlSum

• EUtranCellTDD.pmCaActivatedDlSum

• EUtranCellFDD.pmCaScheduledDlSum

• EUtranCellTDD.pmCaScheduledDlSum

• EUtranCellFDD.pmCaActivatedDlFddTddSum

For a full list with detailed information about counters, see the list files in the
List Files library folder.

6.3 PM Events
Table 4 lists PM events related to this feature:

Table 4 Events
Event Event Parameter
INTERNAL_EVENT_UE_CAPABILITY EVENT_PARAM_UE_CAP_CATEGORY
INTERNAL_PER_CELL_TRAFFIC REPORT EVENT_PARAM_CA_PF3_ASSIGNED_1...12
INTERNAL_PER_UETR_CELL_TRAFFIC_RE EVENT_PARAM_CA_PF3_ASSIGNED_1...12
PORT

12 277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18

 Performance

For a full list with detailed information about PM events, see the list files in the
List Files library folder.

277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18 13

 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension

7 Activate 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation

Extension

Prerequisites

• The license key is installed in the node.

• Continuous Cell Trace Recording (CCTR) is activated since at least one

week. This ensures there is troubleshooting data available if something
goes wrong.

Steps

1. Set the attribute featureState to ACTIVATED in the applicable MO

instance, depending on node type:

Node Type License Control MO

DU Radio Node OptionalFeatureLicense
=FourDlCarrierAggregation
Baseband Radio Node FeatureState =CXC4011980

After This Task

Let the CCTR be active for one week, for continued collection of
troubleshooting data.

14 277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18

 Deactivate 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension

8 Deactivate 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation

Extension

Prerequisites

Continuous Cell Trace Recording (CCTR) is activated since at least one week.
This ensures there is troubleshooting data available if something goes wrong.

Steps

1. Set the attribute featureState to DEACTIVATED in the applicable MO

instance, depending on node type:

Node Type License Control MO

DU Radio Node OptionalFeatureLicense
=FourDlCarrierAggregation
Baseband Radio Node FeatureState =CXC4011980

After This Task

Let the CCTR be active for one week, for continued collection of
troubleshooting data.

277/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen G2 | 2017-09-18 15